


Fiercely Into The Night

by BadWriterGoodIntentions



Category: Midnight Poppy Land (Webcomic)
Genre: Adults, Attraction, F/M, Friendship, M/M, Unresolved Romantic Tension
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-09
Updated: 2020-06-15
Packaged: 2021-03-04 01:40:22
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 8
Words: 6,502
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24625630
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BadWriterGoodIntentions/pseuds/BadWriterGoodIntentions
Summary: It's been a few months since Poppy and the Giant Goldfish Crew began working with Quincey.  As their working relationship with each other evolved into personal friendship, they all decided to hang out on a Saturday night.  Poppy takes this as an opportunity to move forward from the rejection she felt from Tora.  Will Poppy and Tora find their way back to each other?
Relationships: Jacob/Quincey, Tora/Poppy
Comments: 49
Kudos: 117





	1. Ready?

**Author's Note:**

> Sorry in advance for the short length of the chapters... I'm still developing my fan fiction composition muscles, haha!

Poppy, Erdene and Jacob were getting ready at Erdene's place to go out with Quincey. Quincey had been working with their publishing company to complete the manuscript of Mr. Lam's late wife and Quincey's own work for a few months now. In that time, all four of them developed a friendship that grew to involve lunches and happy hours. Tonight would be the first time they all got together during the weekend. The three Giant Goldfish employees gleaned that Quincey was very much "in the know" when it came to the best spots in Narin City. 

The night seemed particularly nerve-racking for Jacob, who developed a tiny crush on Quincey. After much deliberation and some consultation with his friends, Jacob picked a stylish, fitted white button down shirt with some fitted black slacks and black dress shoes. His usually soft, casual hairstyle was freshly cut and styled with gel. Jacob was going to go all in for Quincey on their first Saturday night outing together. After revealing his final look, including contacts instead of his normal glasses, Poppy and Erdene couldn't help their spirited response. Jacob, their well-meaning, goofy coworker, looked good... like, really good. 

Poppy felt a twinge of soft jealousy toward Jacob. She longed to feel hopeful about romance. She had her first moment of hope with Tora since she caught Julri cheating on her. Tora, who was so beautiful, generous and surprisingly kind, moved her heart in an unexpected way. She was even able to steal a kiss from him. She initiated the kiss to her own and probably Tora's surprise. However, not long after their kiss, Tora became distant. He stopped texting with her. He didn't phone her and wouldn't respond to her voicecalls. Maybe, just maybe, the sting of this rejection could have been easier to bear if she didn't have to interact with Tora as much. She often saw Tora as a result of working with Quincey, work that began a couple of weeks after their kiss. The distance Tora created slowly ended any aspiration Poppy had of being with him romantically. 

Whatever momentary jealously Poppy felt was quickly overtaken by her hope for Jacob hitting it off with Quincey tonight. She was rooting for her friend, and she genuinely wanted him be happy. She was also treating the night as an opportunity to maybe get back out there herself, though not romantically. She just wanted to have fun again. She wanted to be done dwelling on Tora's rejection, and for that matter, Julri's betrayal. And, she wanted to become unaffected by Tora's presence. Even if Tora was accompanying Quincey tonight, she wanted to enjoy a night out with her friends.

After getting ready however, Poppy secretly admitted to herself she DID NOT want to see Tora tonight. She didn't want him to see her wearing an outfit that was so out of character for her. Earlier in the week, Erdene and Jacob begged Poppy to reconsider her outfit for the night. Poppy had planned to wear leggings and a loose-fitting tunic, but if she were to be honest with herself, she wouldn't have fit in with her friends and probably wouldn't have fit in at any Saturday night destination that Quincey chose. Though Poppy was not one to believe that clothing should matter when it comes to hanging out with friends, she was willing to give into the spirit of that evening, especially since she knew Jacob and Erdene would have her back regardless. 

With advice from both her friends and some rummaging through a discount rack, Poppy ended up wearing a black haltertop dress that draped in front and was fitted everywhere else. The dress came to her knees and wasn't too deep in front, so at least she didn't feel too overly exposed. She wore her hair in a high ponytail, which displayed silver hoop earrings, courtesy of Erdene. Erdene did her makeup, which was also something she normally didn't wear too much of. While she feared she came off a little overweight in a dress that fitted so tightly around different parts of her figure, Erdene and Jacob assured her she looked fine - actually, they used much more flattering adjectives, but Poppy unfortunately did not have the self-esteem to accept those terms from them. 

Erdene, per usual, was absolutely stunning. She ended up wearing a sleeveless, navy blue bodycon dress, golden chandelier earrings and golden heels. Her beautiful hair was parted down the middle and flattened down to a tight, neat bun where her head met her neck. Poppy thought Erdene looked like she was going to a photoshoot, she was just so perfect and polished. 

The three employees/friends were ready to face the night, armed in their fierce looks. Off they went to meet Quincey.


	2. Ghosting

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tora gets ready for his first Saturday night out in a while.

Tora was damn near floating from his kiss with Poppy. He relived her pulling him forward and surprising him with her lips on his mouth over and over again. He felt pangs in chest each and every time he thought of it. Her mouth was soft, and she tasted sweet from the muffin she was eating moments earlier. His hands rested around her hips when he started kissing her back, only after he got over his initial shock. She pulled away fairly quickly after they began, but it was more than he ever thought he deserved. He could still feel her the softness of her lips and her perfect curves against his hands. 

His elation was short-lived. A short time after they parted, Tora was texted by his boss, Vincent. He had to meet with the mob boss immediately that night. Vincent briefed him on the dark and bloody series of jobs he had to perform in the coming weeks. His meeting with Vincent, his employer and the source of so much trauma in his life, shook off any hope or fantasy Tora had of being with Poppy. He couldn't risk Poppy becoming a casualty in the upcoming street war.

Poppy was everything he never knew he wanted. She was sweet, strong, smart and kind-hearted. She looked him in his eyes, and she stood up to him. Her amazing personality highlighted how naturally gorgeous she was. And to top it off, she seemed to have no idea how attractive she was, which made her even more beautiful. Tora questioned how someone like him, someone who has inflicted so much pain on others throughout his life, could be with someone as pure and wonderful as Poppy. He couldn't accept being with her because of how ashamed he was of himself. 

Tora stopped replying to Poppy's texts and phone calls the next day after their first and last kiss. He figured the best thing he could do for her is get out of her life. He didn't have anything meaningful to offer her except his absence. Staying out of her life meant that she wouldn't have to be exposed to the filth that saturated his life. 

Tora realized fairly soon after he decided to end things before they even really began with Poppy that he would have to almost regularly see her now because Quincey began working with her company. He would often have to drop Quincey off and catch her in front of the building, and he was forced to spend happy hours with her. At first, Poppy was her normal self, jovial and warm. She would sport a big smile as she tried to start a conversation. But, since he resolved to protect Poppy from himself, he gave laconic responses, if he said anything at all. He wouldn't look at her, even if he gave eye contact to everyone else in the room. He wanted Poppy to be turned off by him, even hate him. However, the worst response he got from Poppy was her avoiding eye contact while giving him small smiles. Tora almost felt like this was worse than her hatred because he didn't believe he even deserved that small kindness. 

A few months have passed since their first kiss. It was his first free Saturday night in a while, so he hung out with Quincey. Quincey said he was going out to a pretty popular night spot that they visited fairly often in the past for drinks and maybe dancing with a few friends. Tora volunteered to drive him there. He wanted a distraction from the acute emptiness he felt, and though it had been a while, he was still grieving the relationship that never happened with Poppy. He dressed in a fitted white button down shirt, grey slacks and dark grey dress shoes. Tora prepared for an uncomfortable evening surrounded by drunk happy people, dancing and socializing. Maybe the loud and obnoxious environment could distract him from his heartache and self-loathing.


	3. Speaking Without Words

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Who knew that momentary glance could hold some much tension? Poppy and Tora makes eyes on each other.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I recommend the reader plays "Hide And Seek" by Imogen Heap.

After greeting the bouncer, a friend, at the entrance, Quincey and Tora made their way to a reserved private area of the club. A good number of Quincey's friends whom Tora had recognized eventually joined them. Quincey got on the phone again to give directions; it seemed like more people were going to join them. It was of no consequence to Tora at that point. A few minutes later, Tora noticed Jacob enter their area, followed by Erdene. Then, she came in.

Tora never saw Poppy dressed like that. Her outfit accentuated her hourglass waist and her callipygian curves in an unprecedented way. Every single encounter with Poppy over the past few months has tested Tora's resolve to disassociate himself from her. But, her sex appeal on this fateful Saturday night tempted him to throw in the towel. "Holy fuck" he said to himself almost outloud. It was unfair. "Why did I ever meet her?" he asked himself. The responsibility of having to balance her best interests against his desire to know and be with her was frustrating in more ways than one. He succumbed to temptation and dared to take her in intentionally. He started at her magnificent thighs, her stomach hugged by her tight black dress, her ample breasts peaking through the hanging fabric, her perfect neck, her soft rouged lips, and lastly, her beautiful brown eyes. Those eyes. Her eyes held him for a time that was both brief and long.

"He's here," Poppy thought to herself after sighting Tora. Her heart was twisting in her chest. Even though she was surrounded by people, noise and visuals, it seemed like everything vanished except him - Poppy only saw Tora. In what probably seemed like a mere moment for the rest of the gathering in that reserved space, there was a suspension of time for Poppy. "Why? Why does he still have such an effect on me?" So little transpired between them, and yet, she remained susceptible to being enthralled by those mesmeric golden eyes, that intense jawline and his overall stunning face. "He doesn't like you. You ruined things with that kiss you forced on him. Just let it go. Tonight is about you having fun with your friends."

Their mutually held eye contact was brief, but substantive. Even though they didn't hear what each other was screaming through their looks, there was a catharsis in saying it - no spoken words necessary. It was an encounter on a Saturday night, after so many weekends had past, long after that kiss.

Poppy turned to say hello to Quincey and meet his other friends. And as luck would have it, Gyu came to the gathering right after . He knew Quincey, the bouncer and the bartenders, so it wasn't surprising that he would turn up, but it was a welcomed presence for Tora. "Big Bro, good to see you here! A lot of stunners around us, am I right?" Ronzo's greeting gave Tora a reason to break away. Time went back to a normal pace and the night resumed, albeit with a new tension in the air felt only by Poppy and Tora.


	4. The Rhythm

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's time for Jacob to get bold and go dancing.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> When you see the four asterisks (****) play "I Don't Care" by Elle Varner.

The Giant Goldfish crew had been at their Saturday night destination for about half an hour mingling with each other and Quincey's friends. Jacob was getting cold feet after seeing Quincey in his element. Contacts, a fresh hairdo and new clothing didn't automatically bridge the gulf that he thought existed between him and Quincey. Upon observing his reticence, Erdene decided to get into motivation mode. Erdene gathered Jacob, Poppy and herself into a huddle as inconspicuously as possible. "Jacob, ask him to the dance floor! I think they're playing the perfect kind of music! Go get that man!" Poppy backed up Erdene with a few enthusiastic nods. "Yeah, you can do this, Jacob! You look amazing! Erdene and I know any guy would be lucky to land you. If he says no, then we'll be here to dance the night away with you." With the encouragement of his friends and a little liquid courage from the bottle service Quincey secured for the reserved area, Jacob made his way to Quincey.

Waiting for a break in Quincey's conversation, Jacob touched Quincey's forearm and started with, "Hey, Quince."

"Jacob! You having a good time?"

"Yeah, yeah, this place is real cool." Jacob started to move slowly to Quincey's right. When he got to Quincey's right ear, Jacob took the plunge. "Hey, how about you and I check out the dance floor?" 

Quincey cracked a smile on the side of his mouth. "Yeah, I think we should do that."

Jacob pulled backed, looked Quincey straight in his eyes and gave him a subtle smile. He then grabbed Quincey's hand and led them towards the music. 

Erdene and Poppy could hardly contain their delight at the sight of Jacob leading Quincey hand in hand. "Way to go, Jake" Poppy thought to herself. The two women followed Jacob and Quincey at a little bit of a distance. Upon seeing Quincey and then Poppy leave their area, Tora decided to take Gyu and discreetly trail behind them. 

"Ronzo, keep your eye on Quincey. Don't get distracted." Unbeknownst to Gyu, Tora planned to keep his eyes elsewhere on the dance floor.

"You got it, Big Bro... hey, stop calling me Ronzo!"

****Jacob held Quincey's hand slightly behind himself the entire walk to the dance floor, only turning to Quincey once they made it to the perimeter. It was perfect timing as the DJ just started to transition into a new song. Quincey was pleasantly shocked by how adeptly Jacob adapted the movement of his body to the beat of the music. Jacob raised the hand he held Quincey with, offering both their hands up to the bass of the new song, bringing their arms down as they both settled into the track. Jacob smoothly swirled his shoulders to hook in Quincey's rhythmic response. After keying into their groove with each other, Jacob started body rolling into Quincey, and Quincey responded in kind. They were on opposite sides of the same equal sign, whatever happened on the left side of the equation would be balanced on the right side. 

Locking in their eye contact, Jacob raised his arms to gently cup both sides of Quincey's neck. Quincey rested his hands on Jacob's waist. Inching in closer to each other, letting their pace be set by the artist of the song, they met with a delicate kiss that steadily escalated. Smiles escaped between grabs they made to each other with their mouths. Eventually, Quincey turned his face to Jacob's left ear, giving a few soft kisses and a gentle nibble on his ear lobe, before ending the rest of their dance to the track in a firm embrace, moving his arms under Jacob's arms, placing his hands on Jacob's back and pressing against each other's cheeks. Jacob's steady hold on Quincey over his shoulders belied the frantic excitement he felt in his chest from being able to share this experience together.

"Woo woooooo, way to go Jacob!" "Yes, Jacob, YASSSSS!" Poppy and Erdene watched Jacob and Quincey from the nearby bar, cheering loudly because their support couldn't be heard by either of them anyway. Poppy had such a deep satisfaction from being able to bear witness to such a beautiful moment in her friend's life. No matter what would come from this in the future, Jacob got his Cinderella moment with the man he wanted. Erdene and Poppy felt like they did their jobs with supporting Jacob in his pursuit of Quincey, so now, it was their turn. Erdene took Poppy's hand and gave her a twirl, as the ladies began walking towards the dancing portion of their evening. 

Tora had been observing Poppy from afar the entire time Quincey was dancing...


	5. What would it be like?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Poppy displays some amazing moves with Erdene, making Tora wish he could be the one dancing with Poppy Instead.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Recommended song for this chapter: "SLOW DANCING IN THE DARK" by Joji

Erdene got up, took Poppy by her hand, tugged her away from the bar and led her through a little spin as they made their entrances onto the dancefloor on the side away from Jacob and Quincey. Since they spent a significant amount of time gawking and cheering, they both felt the boys deserved some time to be with each other without being under the microscope of their gleeful gaze. Poppy was particularly happy about getting the chance to dance off some of the things that have bothered her recently. After all, "Why be moody when you can shake yo booty?" 

There are people who dance their best moves when they're with their friends, and Poppy was one of those people. When she was in the right setting with the right people, cute and silly Poppy easily demonstrated how grown and sexy she in fact was. The height of her heels and style of her dress encouraged Poppy to concentrate her movement on her arms, chest, hips and backside. Erdene, being quite in tune with her own body and sensuality, smoothly played against Poppy's moves with the same energy. As they held each other through their fingers, Erdene and Poppy rhythmically sauntered deeper into the crowd. Poppy made her way in front of Erdene, and swayed her rear against Erdene. Poppy bit her lower lip as she smiled, closed her eyes and relinquished control of her movement to the song. 

Until that night, Tora never really paid much attention to who or where Erdene was, but he would have given anything to change places with her. Since she's wearing such high heels, Tora wondered where Poppy's ass would fall against his body. Would Poppy place her hands over his while he laid them on her hips as she expertly grinded against him? Would Poppy roll her back into his torso? Would he have to have to be Erdene to have Poppy snake her way up and down his body? Would he be allowed to slide his hands down each side of her unbelievable figure? Would he have to be Erdene to see her so be uninhibited and happy? He found himself drawn closer to the dance floor, stopping himself because he didn't want Poppy to know he was watching her. If she saw him and allowed him to approach her, there would be no going back. Tora grabbed his cheek and slid his hand over his face to his mouth. He has a momentary flashback to Poppy's lips over his. Seeing that Gyu was keeping a eye on Quincey from a distance on the other side of the bar, he decided to duck out for a cigarette. 

In the space next to the bar outside of the dance floor, Poppy thought she saw a flash of Tora. She dismissed it as visual vestige of her crushed infatuation. But, the sight had her wondering what it would be like to dance with him. She never could dance with Julri the way she could with her girlfriends. There was always a shyness that swelled in her. Could she be able to let go with Tora? How would his body feel? How would he move? She quickly shook her head at going further down that rabbit hole of her imagination. "He doesn't want you, and that's okay. You're okay."

Erdene and Poppy noticed a couple of Quincey's friends had joined the space, and they waved them over. As Poppy saw Erdene getting comfortable with dancing with one of them, she saw it as an opportunity to get a drink without breaking up the fun for Erdene. "Keep dancing, I'm going to get a drink," Poppy yelled in Erdene's ear while gesturing a drinking motion. Erdene asked if Poppy was okay and after being sufficiently convinced that she was, Erdene gave Poppy an "OK" sign with her hand, a playful pat on Poppy's bottom and a smile.


	6. Violation

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Poppy encounters an unexpected problem.

After weighing her options, Poppy decided to pay for a drink at the bar instead of going back to Quincey's reserved area. She figured it would be best to give Tora some space, and maybe more truly, maintain some space for herself from him. As she was waiting for service in a remote corner of the bar, a hand slid across her back. "Hey, gorgeous. Let me buy you a drink." Poppy shook her head, lifted her wristlet wallet at the young man and said, "Thank you very much, but I'm good." She supposed he was an okay looking blonde, in the vein of a messy frat guy in a button down shirt. However, he was clearly intoxicated, uncomfortably close to her and becoming increasingly aggressive. Poppy felt herself shrinking. She started to feel that same feeling of powerlessness she used to have as a child, when she was bullied for being so much smaller than the other kids. Poppy decided to leave the bar area, but the drunk man grabbed her arm. "Hey, sweetness, where are you off to?" He then cupped her left buttocks with one hand to bring her closer to him and grabbed her right breast with the other. She had never been handled so cruelly. He was overpowering her, pawing at his arms did nothing to free herself from his violent grasp. Tears started to form. "Someone, anyone, please help me" she whispered.

Tora came back to the area, admittedly to see if he could continue watching Poppy. He saw Erdene was dancing with some of Quincey's friends, but there was no sight of Poppy. "Maybe she went back to the reserved table?" he thought to him. Tora looked around the surrounding area to make sure she wasn't still around. He didn't see anyone he recognized at the bar besides Gyu. When he caught Gyu's attention, Tora threw a nod at him and started to head over to him. As Tora started making his way closer to the bar, she caught sight of Poppy's back, and her situation became clear. He started forcefully making his way to her.

Poppy saw hands come in, wrap around the man's neck and lift the man against the wall behind him. "Tora?" Poppy managed to whimper before she dropped to knees. She looked up to see Tora punishing the man with a physical reaction she never witnessed in Tora before. Poppy placed her hand on Tora's left calf and begged him to stop. She noticed the friend Tora spoke with by Quincey's reserved area came over too. 

Gyu intervened to get Tora off the the man who violated Poppy. "Big bro, man, this isn't Ares Street. Ya gotta stop. I know the people here, so if ya stop now, we can walk away from this with no issues."

Tora then felt a small, familiar hand on his leg. It was Poppy. He saw her mouthing, "stop, please." He stopped what he was doing immediately and looked back at the scum who dare to put his hands on Poppy. While pinning the man against the wall, Tora instructed Gyu to search for the man's wallet, grab his ID, and then grab their people who work at the club. "Tanner, is it? I know your face, and now, I know your name and address, ya piece of shit. If you ever touch a woman against her will again, that's it. I will find you, and I will end you. Do you understand me?" Tanner, seeing the killing intent clearly in Tora's eyes, weakly nodded his head. When Gyu brought the bouncer who greeted him and Quincey at the start of the night, Tora released Tanner. Tora turned to look down behind him to locate Poppy, but she was no longer there.

Tora ran towards the dance floor and saw Erdene was still dancing with Quincey's friends, and he also saw that Quincey was still with Jacob. Poppy wasn't in the area. "Gyu, still keep ya eye on Quincey," he said before leaving the area. He ran to their reserved area to find Poppy wasn't there either. Panicking, Tora rushed toward the front of the establishment. He saw her in the distance about to turn a corner.

"Pop-Poppy... Poppylan, wait!"


	7. Truths

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After months of not speaking to each other, Poppy and Tora finally speak to each other.

When she saw Tora ease up on the man who assaulted her, Poppy let her head drop. After letting out a few more tears, she slowly turned her back to Tora and started walking away. Looking at her feet as she walked to get the rest of her stuff from the area reserved by Quincey, Poppy avoided eye contact with Quincey's friends and grabbed her jacket and larger purse. After placing her wristlet wallet into her bag and putting on her jacket, Poppy made her way out of the establishment. On her way out, she sent a text message to the group chat with Erdene, Jacob and Quincey. "You guys, I feel so exhausted and nauseous, so I'm calling it a night. I didn't want to interrupt or risk anyone leaving early on my behalf, so I decided to bounce. Love you guys! Enjoy the rest of your night <3"

As she approached the first corner on her walk out of the club, Poppy thought she heard her name behind her, but she ignored it. She just needed to get to her destination. She was going to make her way to a diner nearby, order a hot beverage and hope they wouldn't give her a hard time about staying there until it was light outside again. Poppy didn't want to be alone with a random male cab driver... not tonight. Her daze was broken by the sight of Tora in front of her.

"Poppy, please. Wait a minute, will ya? Let me drive you home. I didn't drink alcohol, and I promise I won't touch ya." Poppy walked around him, continuing her confused pace towards a destination unknown to Tora. Tora had seen many sad and fearful people in his life, but none of them have ever impacted him the way seeing Poppy so broken did.

"Please... Bobby."

"Don't call me Bobby," Poppy sharply said as she turned towards him.

"What?" Tora was surprised by her response.

"You stopped talking to me. You stopped texting me. You wouldn't even look at me. You can't call me Bobby like we're back to being friends. Everything stopped right after I kissed you. I get it, I do. I'm sorry. I'm so sorry I did that when you clearly didn't want that. I misread it all with you. I'm so sorry I kissed you against your will." In light of what happened to her earlier, Poppy started crying at the idea of her touching someone against their will. Her right breast still ached from the way it was grabbed. She then took in a few deep breaths to calm down. She didn't want Tora to see her crying.

"Poppy, you don't understand..."

"I understand perfectly, Tora. I'm short, I'm a little chubby, and I have immature tastes. I don't have money, parents or any safety net. I live in a moldy apartment. I wear the wrong things to Chevy's, and I don't hang out at places like the Black Swan. I get it all. How could someone like you ever want someone like me? I knew that even when I kissed you. I'm so sorry I did that to you. I'm so sorry I ruined our friendship. I just... I just really liked you. But that doesn't justify anything. I'll try to stay out of your life." Poppy turned around and continued walking in a pace that reflected how defeated she felt.

Poppy broke Tora's heart by how mistaken she was about everything. With a mix of anger and sadness, both stemming from how Poppy felt about herself, Tora ran to block her path and then looked her in her eyes.

"You're so fucking wrong. You're wrong about everything, Bobby. You don't think I've been thinking about you every single day since we kissed... fuck, maybe ever since I first saw ya. You're the first person who... Fuck!" Tora broke eye contact, only to look at her again a small moment later. "You save stray cats and run to save old men from the thugs I work with. You make cute animal riceballs and cool art. Your apartment is amazing because you're fucking amazing. And you're so goddamn beautiful... just fucking stunning." 

"But, I can't be with you because of who I am," Tora yelled out and then took a short pause. 

"My hands are dirty, my world is dirty. It's just violence and ugliness. I'm fucking ugly and violent. I'm a goddamn scumbag who will never be worthy of ya. And the shitty truth is that I'll probably end up dead before I'm 30, so I don't want ya to even waste your time on a piece of shit like me."

Anger swept over Poppy, as tears started rolling out of her eyes. She balled up her hands and lightly started patting the side of her fists with her pinkie finger against Tora's chest. She didn't actually want to hurt him, but she was so mad about how unkind his words were. 

"You stupid jerk," Poppy said, still lightly pounding her fists on his chest. "Never, ever talk about yourself in such a way again. You're one of the most generous and kindest people I have ever met. When I met you, you literally gave me the clothing off your back and literally caught me when I fell. You saved me tonight when I thought I was..." She had to break as her chest ached where she was grabbed. "I will never EVER tolerate that kind of description about you, even if it's from you... especially if it's from you." 

Overwhelmed by the intensity of what they said to each other, Poppy released her fists, brought her hands up, cupped her face with them and started to full on cry.

Tora lost his willpower. He couldn't keep up his walls anymore. Fighting back tears - tears he almost forgot he had - Tora wrapped his arms around Poppy and held her with everything he had.


	8. Sleep

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The long night finally begins to wind down.

Tora committed to holding Poppy in his arms for however long she needed and wanted. Despite the chill in the still air, the pair felt warm together. The evening had already seemed long at this point, and it wasn't even midnight. At some point, Poppy looked up to see if she could catch Tora's face. His eyes looked wet from tears - a sight that stirred her heart. Poppy raised her palms to Tora's face, and proceeded to place them on his cheeks as she gently and carefully wiped the tears from Tora's eyelashes with her thumbs. Tora relished the contact of Poppy's soft hands and the comfort of her touch. After a short while, Poppy pulled away and gave Tora a reassuring look. 

Having taken a few steps back and placed her hands in coat pockets, Poppy decided to speak first. "I'm sorry about that. It was a lot to unload on you. And, thank you for saving me. I don't know what would have happened if you didn't step in. You should go back to Quincey. I'm much better now, all thanks to you."

"What the hell are ya saying, Bobby? I'm with you tonight, whatever and wherever you decide."

Poppy smiled. Perhaps due to the nature of what transpired so far in the evening, Poppy decided to offer an invitation that was out of character. "Well, only if you want to, and please say no if any part of you feels uncomfortable. W-Would you like to spend the rest of the night at my place? Not for... THAT, or anything like THAT... just good...CLEAN hanging out and catching up after everything we've discussed and after the last few months of awkwardness?" Poppy took a huge breath after speaking in such a rapid and nervous manner, keeping her eyes on Tora's feet. Her heart was heavily drumming in her chest, and she felt her pulse throughout her body.  
After what Poppy perceived to be a prolonged silence, clad in an irrepressible blush and with widened eyes, she tried to walk back the suggestion. "Oh, gosh, that was weird of me... Weird. Just forget it. We're good here. I'll catch up with you another time, like when you're with Quincey," closing out her statement with head shaking and a nervous giggle. As she started to turn back into the direction of the diner, Tora caught her arm.

"Jesus, Pops, I was just surprised. Course I want to come over. Let me drop you off, and then I'll grab some shit from my place."

"Really?" Poppy meekly replied before slowly making eye contact with with Tora again. 

"The little hamster really does have big jackfruit, huh?"

Poppy furrowed her eyebrows and flatly responded, "Nevermind, I'm taking back my offer." 

"Too late, Bobby." Tora proceeded to pinch both of Poppy's cheeks, not without protest and complaint from Poppy. In both their minds, there was a relief with being able to get back to what used to feel normal for them.

"C'mon, let's walk to my car." Tora grabbed Poppy's hand, interlocked their fingers and held on tightly, much to Poppy's delight. During the car ride, Poppy stared out of the passenger side window. There was a pleasant vibe in the car as they made their way to Poppy's building. They held hands for the majority of the trip. Once they parked, Poppy told Tora to wait so she could grab her extra set of keys and bring it down.

"Nah, I'll just come up. Don't want ya to run up and down the stairs if you don't have to."

"Are you sure?"

"Yep, let's go, Bobby."

As they crossed the threshold of her unit, Poppy felt the immediate relief of kicking off her high heels. Both Tora and Poppy let out smalls laughs at the height she lost.

Their laughter subsided. "Just how ya should be - your natural height," Tora said as he touched her left cheek with his right hand. 

Poppy blushed, smiled and then looked down as she bit her bottom lip. She nervously broke away to take off her jacket and find her spare keys. Upon seeing her bare back up close, Tora imagined making contact on her skin with his lips, drawing a map of his feelings between her shoulder blades with numerous kisses.

"Here you go! Just come straight up after you park. I'll have some chamomile tea ready for you when you get back." Poppy handed him the keys with a cheerful smile.

As Tora turned to the door, Poppy hugged him from behind. "Please drive safely, Tora. Please come back to me."

Tora turned around, wrapped Poppy around her waist with his arms, and lifted her. Poppy and Tora gave each other a part of their lives with that kiss. They consumed each other, putting all the missed kisses and intimacy from the time they lost together into one moment. After pulling their mouths away from each other, they remain connected in their embrace, heavily breathing. 

"Give me about 45 minutes, Pops." Tora said, as he let Poppy go and left the apartment. Poppy stood dumbstruck in front of the door for a moment, before smiling and lifting her fingers to her mouth. Tora was just outside of the apartment, hand over his chest, trying regain his composure.

When Tora returned, he immediately took in the citrus-floral scent of her bath gel, the fragrance still lingering from her shower. Tora slid open the door to the kitchen to find Poppy finishing up with the tea. Tora was struck by the versatility of her look. Whether she's in a sexy black dress, or sweats and a thermal shirt, Poppy always looked remarkably beautiful to Tora. 

As they sat on the pillows at Poppy's low table, they were both struck by how simple it was to get comfortable with each other. Despite all the tension and unresolved feelings through the past few months, it was still easy to carry on a conversation, laugh, drink tea and eat crackers. After finishing the tiny pot, Poppy offered Tora a plastic cup with water if he wanted to have a smoke on the balcony while she cleaned up a bit before getting to bed. When he got back, Poppy offered Tora a toothbrush, some toothpaste and a towel. They brushed their teeth together in the small space of her bathroom. Poppy covered her mouth each time she spat the foam from her mouth. This basic hygienic routine was oddly intimate for both of them. With their mouths clean and their faces washed, they headed to Poppy's bed. Poppy kept the low light of a small lamp on, just in case Tora needed to get up in the middle of the night. 

Poppy took the side closest to the wall, and Tora slipped into the open side the bed. Facing each other in mirroring positions, Poppy reached out to lightly stroke Tora's right eyebrow from the top of his nose over his eye. It felt soothing to Tora. He grabbed her hand and kissed the middle of her palm. She then brought his hand to her face and nuzzled into it. After a little while, Tora saw Poppy's eyelids struggling to stay open.

"Tora?" Poppy whispered.

"Yeah, sweetheart."

"You accept all these negative things about yourself. But, you have so much goodness in you that's incredibly warm and gentle. I feel so lucky that I get to see this part of you. Thank you so very much. I hope you get to see it in yourself too." Poppy labored through her drowsiness to make sure she told Tora this. She planted some more kisses on Tora's hand before she gave in to her exhaustion.

After being used for violence and abused for so long, the idea of being able to cherish Poppy and have her care about him for who he was, frightened Tora because it was so foreign to him. It's as if Poppy traveled into his heart and began lighting a candle in each cell, illuminating things he didn't know existed. But there was something so comforting about this new feeling. After watching Poppy sleep and feeling her breath on his fingers for a while, Tora fell into a particularly deep slumber, his hand still held by Poppy against her mouth.


End file.
